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Letter to Parents and Players

NRHS Boys' JV soccer 2020

To Players and Parents

    Welcome to the now nationally-known Nauset Soccer family and tradition!  I am very excited to be coaching the Boys' JV this year and about working with each of you to achieve your personal objectives and our collective one: a successful and positive team experience. Soccer is a magical blend of athleticism, technical skill and coordination, tactical knowledge and understanding, and creative innovation. Success in this sport requires close coordination between teammates, strength, stamina, initiative, intelligence, and poise.  

Everything in the above paragraph is as true this year as it was when I wrote it prior to last season. If anything, our collective effort will be even more important this year in ensuring that we enjoy a safe and full season. There are significant rules changes that we will all learn to work with together. Moreover, there are new practice protocols which, if they are not followed, will end everyone’s season. Coaches always talk about the interdependence of teammates on one another, but the stakes are even higher than usual this year. 

You can find a complete accounting of all the rules changes and practice protocols  here, but I will summarize some of the highlights. Rules modifications: 

• masks (no neck-gaiters) to be worn at all times. 

• no heading

• no slide tackling

• no placing your hands on another player for any reason

• Kick-ins replace throw-ins

• all restarts require six foot spacing prior to restart

• corner kicks are indirect kicks. 

Practice Protocol:

• masks (no neck-gaiters) to be worn at all times except for mask breaks

• Complete online health check every morning

• 4-5:30 after school every day (could go and end earlier if we can arrive earlier)

• No locker rooms or indoor bathrooms or indoor training space of any kind. Come dressed to play.

• No shared equipment of any kind. Bring your own water bottle, scrimmage vest (issued to you), and ball (issued to you) 

• Busses will be provided for in-district athletes to come to practice. 

• No loitering before or after practice. 

Coach

Sean Mulholland Junior Varsity Coach 508 237-7683.  mulhollands@nausetschools.org 

I have been coaching youth soccer at various levels for the past 26 years. I hold an E coaching license from US and Mass Youth soccer. I coached the Chatham High School  varsity girls team from  2004-2010,the Nauset Girls JV team from 2011-2012, and the Nauset Boys JV from 2013-2018. 

Equipment. Players will be given game jerseys. They must be washed, safe guarded and returned at the end of the season. Everyone must practice with cleats, shin guards, socks which cover shin guards.  No one without his full uniform will be allowed to play in a game.  

Attendance and commitment . Be present and on time for every practice and every pre-game. Practices run from 4-5:30 Monday- Friday and there is always practice no matter the weather. Pre-game warm-up starts 30 minutes before each game. You should be dressed and ready to go 15 minutes prior to that.

If ever you miss a practice (or god forbid, a game) the team suffers and so does your playing time in the next game (s).  That said, some players may have legitimate excuses for missing a practice or two. 

Examples of legitimate reasons to miss practice:

• Unavoidable conflict with doctor or dentist appointment

• Rare special family event or outing

• Illness and/ or absence from the regular school day

For each practice missed (legitimately with notification), a player will not play in at least half of the next contest. If a player would not normally play more than a half of a contest, his playing time will be reduced in reasonable but not always exact proportion. 

If you have a legitimate reason to miss a practice, you should communicate with me personally (no messages through other players) as early as possible and bring a note from your parent. (No note required for school absence.) 

Examples of illegitimate reasons to miss practice (never excused)

• Need a day to catch up on school work. (Part of your athletic commitment is to keep up with your school work.)

• Have a major assignment due the next day that was assigned weeks ago and on which you have done no work.

• Injury (all injured must come to practice even if they do not participate.)

• It’s raining or cold outside.

• Detention.

• School suspension. 

All players are encouraged to take advantage of academic extra help, which typically takes place from 3 - 4 PM. Players should come late to practice and bring a note from the teacher. No player will ever be penalized for receiving extra help. 

At the discretion of the coach, depending upon the context, a player who has an unexcused absence will be cautioned and benched.  If there is more than one occurrence, parents and the athletic director will be called for a conference. 

To the Parents:  Positive Parental involvement and support is welcomed.  Do not hesitate to discuss your concerns and hopes for your sons with me.  Please understand at the same time that while I want to hear from you, decisions about playing time, positioning, and tactical strategy are made in accordance with the interests of the team as a whole and may not align perfectly with your vision.  

Please refrain from giving your sons coaching instructions on the field.  ( Principal Elsasser, himself a soccer coach, has suggested that parents not use any verbs.) Screaming to someone with the ball to shoot or pass is a little like yelling at your son to swing at the baseball plate. Even if it’s the right instruction, it only serves to rattle and distract the player from his focus on the task at hand.  I know what it’s like to be a soccer parent because I am one. I also know that sometimes my passionate desire for my children’s success in soccer conflicts with their actual success and well being. When that happens, it’s time to put the brakes on and reevaluate. Applauding our children’s successes and cheering them through their disappointments is often the best soccer parenting we can do. 

Playing time in Games: Our JV roster will average about 18  boys.  There are roughly 770 minutes of playing time in each game (11x 70 minutes). If everyone played exactly equal time, each player would play about 40  minutes. Now adjust for the fact that the goalkeeper plays the entire game and that I substitute infrequently for defensive players and that average falls to under half a game.  Now add to the equation that varsity players who receive little playing time are often played "down" on JV to give them game experience.  These 2 or 3 players usually play for an entire half without substitution. The equally partitioned time remaining for the 13 or so JV players would average under 30 minutes.  However, the remaining time will not be equally divided.  At the JV level, every eligible player should expect to play every game but not necessarily equal time. The award of playing time depends on several factors: effort and attendance in practice, positive support for other teammates, aptness for a given position on the field, and effective talent on the field.   Under normal circumstances, each player can expect to play at least 10 minutes of a contest. 

For each practice missed (legitimately with notification), a player will not play in at least half of the next contest. If a player would not normally play more than a half of a contest, his playing time will be reduced in reasonable but not always exact proportion. 

Transportation: Players are expected to ride the bus to all away games.  You are free to pick your son up from an away contest, but please have him inform me. If your son is to be driven away by anyone but you, your son should give me a note of permission signed by you.  School policy is not to allow children to take rides from anyone other than legal guardians without prior written authorization. 

Sean Mulholland 

Here is the link to get the latest and most important information on participating in boys JV soccer at Nauset:  https://www.remind.com/join/k2a4gf